Recent overseas media stories of people dying while filming on rail networks have shown the tragic loss of life that can happen when you trespass on the rail reserve.
In January bodybuilding model and fitness guru, Greg Plitt was attempting to outrun a train in the US while filming a sport commercial and was killed.
More recently, also in the US, a young camera assistant Sarah Jones was struck and killed while filming a feature film. As with Greg Plitt, the film director, executive producer and assistant director did not have permission to be on the rail reserve and all pleaded guilty and received punishments ranging from tens of thousands of dollars in fines to two years in jail.
These reports have focussed the spotlight firmly on rail safety and how important it is to understand the consequences of being on the train tracks in an unauthorised area.
In Perth, one of the ways the Public Transport Authority (PTA) raises awareness of these consequences and the importance of making safe decisions when around the public transport network, is through safety ambassador and double amputee, Jonathan Beninca. Jonathan visits Perth twice a year as part of PTA’s Right Track program to share with schools and youth organisations the consequences of his own decision to trespass. This puts Jonathan in a unique position to help young people make better decisions that will help keep them safer, particularly around trains.
Learn more about how to introduce rail safety to the young people you work with or book in a visit from Jonathan Beninca by calling 9326 2055 or emailing therighttrack@pta.wa.gov.au
Cover image found here